NBA All-Star Weekend is here, coming to a state that is one of the true hotbeds of basketball in America, a state with a legendary basketball history.
NBA All-Star Weekend is here, coming to a state that is one of the true hotbeds of basketball in America, a state with a legendary basketball history.
Here’s everything you need to know about All-Star Weekend.
The NBA descends upon Indianapolis, Indiana, for three days of events Feb. 16-18.
Friday night is the Rising Stars Game, featuring rookies and sophomores, taking place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Also that night is the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
All-Star Saturday Night — featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, Steph Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-Point Challenge, and the Slam Dunk Contest — will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sunday, the 73rd annual NBA All-Star Game takes place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Rising Stars Game, plus all the Saturday and Sunday events will be broadcast on TNT and can be streamed on MAX.
The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The celebrity coaches for the game are Stephen A. Smith (assisted by Lil Wayne and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson) and Shannon Sharpe (assisted by 50 Cent).
• Jewell Loyd (WNBA’s Seattle Storm)
• Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys)
• SiR (singer-songwriter)
• Conor Daly (Indy Car driver)
• Quincy Isaiah (actor)
• Dylan Wang (actor)
• Kai Cenat (streamer)
• Lilly Singh (actor/YouTube star)
• Walker Hayes (country music star)
• Anuel AA (Latin singer)
• Metta World Peace (former NBA player)
• CJ Stroud (Houston Texans)
• Natasha Cloud (WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury)
• Jennifer Hudson (actress, singer)
• AJ McLean (singer)
• Adam Blackstone (musician)
• Jack Ryan (basketball entertainer)
• Kwame Onwuachi (celebrity chef)
• Tristan Jass (content creator)
• Gianmarco Tamberi (Olympic high jumper)
This year’s Dunk Contest participants are:
• Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics).
• Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat).
• Jacob Toppin (New York Knicks)
• Mac McClung (G League, Osceola Magic)
McClung is the defending champion.
This year’s participants are:
• Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks (defending champion)
• Malik Beasley, Milwaukee Bucks
• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Yes, and he has won the event twice, first in 2015 and then again 2021.
Curry and Ionescu have had some shooting pick-up game style shooting competitions in the past, but never in public view. She legendarily beat Curry at a game of HORSE. However, the push for this event started when Ionescu won the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest scoring a record 37 points (out of a possible 40) in the final round, then Tweeted this out:
The NBA knows a good marketing opportunity when it sees one and jumped all over this.
Both Curry and Ionescu will shoot from the NBA 3-point line (23 feet, 9 inches). The original plan was for Ionescu to shoot from the WNBA line (20 feet, 6 inches) but she quickly shot that down and said she would go from the NBA line, saying she regularly practices from there anyway.
The format will follow the NBA 3-Point Contest with five racks of balls spread out around the arc, with the last ball in each rack and one full rack being money balls worth two points (regular balls are worth one).